TENCEL™’s Latest Brand Evolution Highlights Material Innovation and Environmental Impact

As brands continue to integrate more innovative and responsible materials, consumers are looking more closely at the story behind products. They are scrutinizing material composition, reading up on brands’ sustainability impact and considering how their purchases affect people and the planet.

In Blue Yonder’s 2024 Consumer Sustainability Survey,¹ 78 percent of U.S. consumers said sustainability concerns are either very or somewhat important to them for product selection. Additionally, 47 percent said their interest in shopping sustainably rose at least slightly in the last year. Most would also pay a premium for sustainability, with 40 percent open to paying 5 percent more and 25 percent willing to spend upwards of 10 percent more.

Investing in sustainability gives companies a competitive advantage, but this bonus is only unlocked if they communicate about their efforts. How brands speak about sustainability is equally important to getting the message out.

Over the years, Lenzing Group’s TENCEL™ fiber brand has evolved to tell a more public, human-centric story,² recognizing that while sustainability is about protecting the planet’s health, it is also centered on people.^{3, 4, 7} Launched over three decades ago in 1992,⁵ the TENCEL™ brand made a consumer-facing communications move in 2018 and began launching co-branded campaigns alongside its brand partners.⁶ Through these efforts, Lenzing has built a reputation for TENCEL™ fibers with both B2B and B2C audiences, engaging with manufacturers and end consumers to encourage adoption of its fibers.^{3, 7}

In response to the evolving landscape of the industry and priorities of consumers, the TENCEL™ brand introduces a new theme: “Nature, Future, Us.” This renewed positioning reflects TENCEL™’s work to drive change in the textile industry through material innovation and circularity.^{3, 8}

“The brand refresh helps us communicate our vision of developing an eco-conscious⁴ and circular culture across the entire industry,” said Eva McGeorge, senior director of global marketing and branding, commercial textiles at Lenzing AG. “It encapsulates TENCEL™’s three-decade-long innovation, partnership and trust-building within the sector.”^{3, 8}

Nature

The TENCEL™ brand encompasses both lyocell and modal, which are regenerated cellulosic fibers made from the natural raw material wood. With the well-being of the planet in mind, Lenzing sources wood and pulp from responsibly managed forests.⁴ Responsible sourcing is critical to meeting market demands, as a PEFC survey conducted by YouGov found that 74 percent of European consumers believe brands must make sure their wood-based garments come from sustainably managed forests.⁹

Since TENCEL™ fibers are made from natural ingredients,⁴ they are certified as biodegradable and compostable.⁴ This not only reduces the fibers’ end of life impact;⁴ it also encourages consumers to choose TENCEL™.

Along with using renewable resources, the production processes for both fibers use fewer resources. Compared to generic lyocell and modal, water consumption and carbon emissions for TENCEL™ are 50 percent lower.⁴

Future

Lenzing is thinking of the “future” with TENCEL™, focusing on innovation to create fibers that are even lower impact.⁴ TENCEL™‘s innovations include reducing the resources used in dyeing and expanding the applications for TENCEL™, allowing it to be adopted for more products.¹⁰

TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers are ClimatePartner certified as part of a bespoke climate action plan, which assesses the carbon footprint of Lenzing’s products, sets targets and implements measures to reduce emissions, supports verified climate projects, and fosters transparency along the supply chain.¹¹

Us

“Us” represents inclusivity while also serving as an invitation to action for the entire value chain—down to the end consumer.

“To facilitate real change in the value chain, everyone in the industry needs to transform together,” said McGeorge. “We will continue to build stronger collaborations and dedicate our efforts to creating a future for fashion that we can all be proud of.”^{3, 7}

Transparency is an integral piece of this effort, and Lenzing openly reports on its sustainability progress as well as its commitments.¹²

Per a McKinsey survey of U.K. consumers in 2022,¹³ brand websites (43 percent) and product tags (39 percent) are respectively the first and second sources of information shoppers reference to determine if a brand is sustainable. Lenzing has revamped both its business- and consumer-facing TENCEL™ websites¹⁴ to support the brand’s evolved positioning, telling stories about the fibers themselves and brand collaborations.^{3, 7}

Authenticity is also critical, and the TENCEL™ brand is protected through a traceability solution that traces each step of production to ensure end products truly contain the fibers they claim to.¹⁵ This strengthens product positioning for retailers while also helping consumers make informed decisions.

“When consumers see the TENCEL™ trademark, they can rest assured that they are choosing renewable, traceable fibers¹⁵ that guarantee quality¹⁶ and comfort⁴,” said Florian Heubrandner, executive vice president of commercial textiles at Lenzing AG. “As we foster fiber innovation, we will continue to bolster trust and collaboration with like-minded partners, to empower value chain customers and amplify our impact.”^{3, 7}

Click here to learn more about TENCEL™.

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